


Tend My Wounds / Avenge My Broken Soul

by TheFinalOtp



Series: rhodeytony fics [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Civil War Team Iron Man, F/M, Hurt James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Hurt Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, M/M, Not Steve Rogers Friendly, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Rhodey is salty, Team Iron Man, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, not team Cap friendly, so am I
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26912794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFinalOtp/pseuds/TheFinalOtp
Summary: An overview of Rhodey and Tony's lives after the Civil War and what happens when the Rogues come back.(Team Iron Man, read at your on risk if you stan Team Cap.)
Relationships: Happy Hogan/Pepper Potts, James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark (Implied)
Series: rhodeytony fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2150091
Comments: 25
Kudos: 532
Collections: Team Iron Man/Anti Steve





	1. Chapter 1

James Rhodes was a force of nature when it came to Tony Stark. He loved that man more than anyone, and protected him since they were both dumb teenagers. It had pained him to watch Tony slowly come undone. Ever since Afghanistan, ever since Iron Man, Tony barely got a break from all the bullshit the world had to throw at him. He could see that Avengers were sucking the soul out of him ever since the beginning, taking and taking and taking everything he had to offer and only offering condensation in return. James blamed himself: He should have pulled Tony out of this situation even if it meant dragging him out kicking and screaming, he should have been there to support Tony, he should have...

He should not have been stuck to a bed with legs that didn't work as Tony nearly died in Siberia.

Siberia had been a turning point for both of them. It had broken Tony to be betrayed by his teammates, his friends - and not only mentally. After a surgery that nearly took 24 hours, he was kept in a coma for three days. And all James could do was stay in his own hospital bed and hope that Pepper came bearing good news that day. He decided that he would never, ever let anyone hurt Tony again.

It took four of them to keep Tony from spiralling into the depths of self destruction: James, Pepper, Happy and a boy named Peter that the billionaire had somewhat managed to get under his wing during the whole Civil War shitshow. That didn't mean that Tony was okay - he still worked himself to exhaustion, didn't eat enough and created alcohol induced media scandals. James knew that it could have been a lot worse, though. He was there after Maria and Howard Stark's deaths, after all.

When the Rogue Avengers' pardon came through despite the New Avengers' pushback, Tony tried to dissapear into his workshop with a few bottles of vodka. The others hesitantly pulled out of his way, watched his fast steps with concerned eyes, unsure of what to do. James grabbed him by the arm, and pulled the shorter man close. The bottles shattered as they hit the ground and Tony trembled in his arms.

Later, as they sat on the floor of James' bedroom between each others arms, Tony begged James to not leave him, to stay, _Rhodey, I need you, please_ \- Rhodey knew he had a mission.

He set on his path to destruction. The first step to any good destruction plan was to go to Virginia Potts. Pepper, the proof that god was a woman, she had always handled Tony's lawsuits and PR. However, this time, she had feared that suing the Rogues for Tony's injuries was not her call to make.

"Jim, are you sure that this is the right decision?" Her gold wedding band - a labor of Happy's devotion to her through thick and thin - caught light as she took the file he handed to her.

"Pep, I know you think the decision belongs to Tony, but I disagree. He's already going through so much, and I don't think we should burden him with this right now. Also, he's too much of a softie to actually press charges himself, we both know. I think it's our duty as good friends to defend him when he can't do it himself. God knows we owe him at least that, and even if we didn't owe him anything, he deserves it."

She smiled sadly then, her eyes filled with gratitude. "I'm glad you have his back," she nearly whispered.

"He has my back too."

"Um, I know it's not my place to ask," she said, "but did you ever think Tony and you could ever be..." She trailed off, clearly unsure of how to phrase her question. If it had been anyone else who asked this, he would shut them down immediately. But this was Pepper, one of the few who truly cared for Tony, for James.

"Yes," he confessed. "We have a strong bond between us, Pep. I care for him the most, and I know he feels the same way too. It frankly doesn't matter if it stays platonic or turns into something romantic. But, yeah, the possibility is always there, and I think if one of us wanted it the other would say yes and it would work out."

She listened attentively and hummed when he finished talking. Her gaze drifted away, clearly in deep thought. In the end, she didn't comment but confirmed that the charges will be pressed immediately. However, the thoughtful look in her eyes lingered even as he left. James couldn't help but feel that she had something new in her agenda that didn't include lawsuits.

Next step was the Council. To the surprise of some New Avengers, he wasn't opposed to having the Rogues in the Compound. If they were banished from joining the rest of the Avengers, they would never integrate with them, and a second Civil War would only be a matter of time. So James gave the Council an ultimatum: There wouldn't be mandatory team building nights, the Rogues would not get close to those who didn't want them around themselves; or War Machine and Iron Man would retire and make a press statement about the reason.

James knew he was gambling, not only with his career but also with his friend's; however, he also knew how the Council would respond. They couldn't lose the heaviest guns on the full-time team in exchange for movie nights. As expected, they practically bowed under his will, and James left that meeting with a light feeling of satisfaction.

There wasn't much to do except wait for the Rogues' arrival after that. James still had nightmares of falling, falling, falling, then woke up and realised it wasn't all a dream after all, and his legs didn't work even when he was awake. Tony still woke up in cold sweat and trashed in his sleep, shaking the bed they shared ever since they both left the hospital. Their little family of Happy, Pepper and Peter was warped even closer than before as days passed by, and they locked tight, and waited.

Then, it was time.

The Compound wasn't an all-time house anymore, none of the New Avengers needed a place anyway. However, those who could come had decided to be there for Tony, James, Vision and Peter. All of the Avengers were tense, even if they hadn't been personally involved in the events of the so-called Civil War. Peter had stayed the night and seemed to be on the edge. Tony hadn't slept a wink, and James had stayed up all night to make sure he didn't do anyhing dumb.

Rogers and his team sauntered in at 11 am, accompanied by a very annoyed looking handler. All of them had guilty expressions when they set their eyes on James in his leg braces. Wilson's steps faltered and he half hid behind Romanoff.

"Jim, good to see you," said Rogers with a soft smile. James wanted to punch him in the face.

"Can't say the same for you," he replied coldly. "Thank you for accompanying them," he adressed the handler, "I'll take it from here."

"Thank you colonel," the woman nodded and left swiftly. James would pity the woman if he didn't have to continue her job himself.

"Come along now. I'll show you to your rooms."

When they entered one of the men's dormitories, they all seemed to pause at the sight. There were eight bunk beds in the large room, the walls were decorated with tasteful yet impersonal paintings. The wardrobes were open and empty.

" _This_ is our room?" spat Barton.

"No, the women stay in one of their dormitories," James replied dryly.

"What happened to our actual rooms?"

"The Compound doesn't accommodate permanent housing anymore. I believe you were informed, Mr Rogers. You will be given one week of grace period until you will be asked to relocate."

"But what if we don't have anywhere else to go? Like, what is Wanda supposed to do?" Rogers demanded.

"Miss Maximoff has a working permit. She can support herself. She can study if she earns a scholarship as well. You know, like any other person would do," James couldn't help but add. He knew he was being snarky, but honestly, they deserved much worse than that.

"Rhodes, you know she isn't your regular teenager, you can't expect those things from her," protested Rogers.

"I can and I do. If every single one of you isn't out of the dormitories this time next week, it will affect your pardons. The rest of the information you should know is in the documents by your bedsides. Try to read them this time before causing trouble over it." Some of them opened their mouths, no doubt to snap back, but he cut them off before any of them could say anything.

"But here's something I don't want to risk you saying you didn't know - if you come near any of the team members despite their discomfort, especially Vision and Tony, I will come for you. Oh, and those of you who directly caused Tony physical harm, you're getting sued. A lawyer will come to serve you later today. That's all." He smiled then, a toothy, shark-like grin. "Welcome back."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a one shot, but this scene just wouldn’t leave me alone. This is the first night after they return from the hospital. Hope you like it :)

James woke up to a person sliding into his bed. He let out a surprised, questioning sound; though he wasn't alarmed, he knew he was safe here.

"Ssh, it's me Rhodey. Sorry, I couldn't sleep."

He relaxed at Tony's voice. A calloused hand found its way on James' neck, right on his pulse point and Tony let out a sigh.

His best friend seemed to be unable to relax. James, even in the pitch darkness of the bedroom, could understand him just by his body. He slid a hand under Tony's shirt, pressing it against the bare skin of his back, grounding him. _You're here. You're safe. You can lean on me. You can count on me._

"How did we end up here, Rhodey? I'm a businessman, you're a soldier. Now we deal with aliens and magic. I never wanted this, for neither of us," Tony whispered into the dark. His voice broke at the end.

"We could have been happy."

There was a lump in James' throat as he blinked away tears. He pressed a kiss to his best friend's hairline.

"We will, Tony. It's gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay."

The other man didn't reply, but his body didn't feel so tense anymore. James could feel his warm, steady breath on his neck. They laid there in silence, unmoving.

"You know that I love you, right?" Tony asked with a choked voice just as James thought that he had fallen asleep.

"Yeah, I know. I love you too."

And if they slept that night pressed as close to each other as possible, well, that wasn’t anyone’s business.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! As you can tell, I'm still not over my saltiness over how they did my boys Rhodey and Tony dirty. Anyways, I hope you liked the fic :) Thank you for reading, kudos and comments are always appreciated! (Unless it’s hate comment - those are deleted, so don’t bother.)


End file.
